Social Worker and Social Policy — Yosha Dotson
THE SOCIAL WORKER ENGAGED IN SOCIAL POLICY Yosha Dotson, MSW Academic Professional and Graduate Recruitment Coordinator
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his year the state of Georgia passed its first hate crimes bill. More than half a century after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and almost as long since the first federal hate crimes legislation was signed, Georgia was one of only four states in the country that did not have a bill that increased penalties for crimes based in discrimination and hatred of “the perceived other.” This bill (HB426) was tabled by the Senate Judiciary Committee during the first half of the session and was expected to sit on the table (not move) for the remainder of session. It only passed amidst pandemic, peaceful protests, violent unrest, the slow apathetic suffocation murder of George Floyd by police officers, and the stalking death of Ahmad Arbery in rural Georgia – both of which were broadcast on television and in social media worldwide. Simultaneously, Georgians experienced voter disenfranchisement, extensive budget cuts to direct services for those with mental, physical and substance use challenges, the refusal to use big business to bring additional capital into the state
and reopening the state with a disregard for federal guidelines. What does that say regarding the importance of social justice and the action required to bring about change? Social work was founded on the principle of taking action. The first social workers challenged the system. Trash collection was the catalyst for movement and community organization. So what is our obligation as social workers today? Social workers are positioned to utilize the dual perspectives of macro and micro practice to foster change in systems that are resolved to maintain the status quo. I would pose that there are still system problems that must spur us to action. In the current session, this action for change helped restore funding for maternal health, peer services and crisis beds for youth. However, there are challenges that remain. As social workers, we have the statistics, the research and the organizing capacity to confront issues of discrimination,
SOCIAL JUSTICE WANTED | 2020-2021
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